Soccer-World-Cahill still a talisman for rank outsiders Australia

By Nick Mulvenney SYDNEY, April 28 (Reuters) - Tim Cahill still belies his diminutive stature with his ability to leap above defenders and get his head on the ball and Australia hopes he will similarly help the Socceroos confound their lowly standing in Brazil. The hard-tackling attacking midfielder will be playing in his third World Cup but Australia go to the 2014 finals as rank outsiders in one of the toughest first-round groups with world and European champions Spain, Netherlands and Chile. At 34, Cahill is winding down his career at the New York Red Bulls after spending 14 years in England, first with Millwall and then Everton, but he remains a talismanic figure for his country as well as Australia's most prolific goal-scorer. When Ange Postecoglou was appointed coach in October and promised to give a new generation of players their chance, nobody for one second thought that Cahill would be among the old guard dispatched into retirement. Two goals in a friendly against Ecuador in London in March made him his country's top marksman with 31 in 67 appearances. His scoring feat is impressive enough for a midfielder even before the importance of many of them are considered. In Australia's opening game of the 2006 World Cup - their first finals appearance for 32 years - Cahill came on as a second-half substitute and scored twice as Australia beat Japan 3-1. His second campaign in 2010 started less well with a harsh red card against Germany which caused him to miss the second match against Ghana. He returned in the third, almost inevitably scoring in the 2-1 victory over Croatia. He continued to make a telling contribution to Australia's fortunes on the international stage at the 2011 Asian Cup, where the Socceroos were runners-up to Japan, and through their sometimes stuttering campaign to qualify for Brazil. A hamstring injury playing for the Red Bulls at the end of March led to a nervous few days for Cahill and Postecoglou but it turned out to be a strain rather than a tear. Cahill is the only player in the running to play for Australia in Brazil who could possibly be described as world class, but his fierce competitiveness in what looks like being an inexperienced squad might prove his biggest contribution. (Editing by John O'Brien and Mike Collett)